Workers are not just ready for learning—they're hungry for it, with growth opportunities leading to increased job satisfaction and employee retention, according to research by McKinsey. This is especially true for those entering the job market for the first time. Gen Zers in particular are excited to learn on the job, according to a recent Handshake report. Creating new opportunities for employees to grow in their roles is essential for attracting talent.

Collaboration is an important part of learning. While training modules and other formal learning opportunities are valuable, employees love having opportunities to work closely with their peers to solve problems. Butsiloed departments and teams can make it hard to identify potential collaborators.

Fortunately, AI excels at knowing what your employees are good at. AI can collect data on employee performance, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and areas where they’d like to grow. This information could be collected in a centralized platform, or enterprise ecosystem. That ecosystem would then connect people who might want to work together and learn from each other.

Skills mapping could even happen visually as an employee walks the office floor. Imagine a scenario involving an engineer who is struggling to solve a problem: As they walk into the break room, their smart watch sends them a notification that there are five people in the room who are skilled in the areas that are giving the engineer trouble. One of them is a strong visual thinker, one is a talented project manager, and so on. The engineer could then approach these potential collaborators and strike up a conversation.

An enterprise marketplace for skills isn’t just a boon for individuals. It’s a powerful tool for the enterprise too. Budgets are tight, and the job market is competitive. An enterprise marketplace could save the company a lot of money and headaches by enabling HR teams to create better hiring plans. The skills marketplace can showcase underutilized talent that teams can tap into instead of hiring more people. With AI, the marketplace can also point out areas for growth so managers can set aside time and resources for upskilling. It’s a win for everyone.